LESSON 5: THE DEVELOPMENT

OF THE CATHOLIC
SOCIAL TEACHINGS
(The Papal Social Encyclicals
through the Years)
Objectives :

 To familiarize the students to the key documents

of the Social Teaching of the Church.
 To appreciate the Church’s efforts in responding to
the different social problems that confronted
humanity in the recent century thru her Social
Teachings.
 To assiduously study the Social Teachings of
the Church
 Values: Appreciation of the
Church’s Social Teaching,
Gratitude, Devotion to study the
Church’s Social Teaching.
Social Teachings of the Church
RERUM NOVARUM,

Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, on the Condition of

Labor, May 15, 1891

 This encyclical is acknowledged as the first to address social issues. It is also

considered as the Church’s groundbreaking social encyclical because it was the
first time that the Church spoke in a comprehensive and official way on social
concerns, and it ushered in the era of Catholic social teaching. It is in response to
the conditions faced by workers following the onset of the Industrial Revolution.
Issues it addresses include unbridled capitalism, socialism, the relationship
between worker and employer, a living wage, the relationship between classes
and the preferential option for the poor.
 On a natural law foundation, Pope Leo XIII defends the rights of workers to
organize, to seek higher wages, better working conditions; detailed the rights
and obligations of management and labour; but at the same time he affirms the
natural right to private property opposing the Marxist concept of abolishing
private property — a balance that will carry Catholic social teaching through the
economic and social crises of the twentieth century and the rise and fall of
communism.
 QUADRAGESIMO ANNO

Encyclical of Pope Pius XI, on the Reconstruction of the

Social Order,

May 15, 1931

In the midst of the great depression, in the age of dictators and

ruthless totalitarian systems of the right and the left, Pope Pius XI
celebrates the fortieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum. He
reaffirms the principles set out by Leo XIII and applies them to the
current situation. His teaching shows how Catholic social doctrine
develops and becomes more specific, even as it maintains its great
principles: peace and justice, solidarity, the common good,
subsidiarity, the right to property, the right to associate and the
fundamental role of the family in society.
MATER
ET MAGISTRA

Encyclical of Pope John XXIII, on Christianity and Social

Progress,
May 15, 1961

 Published at the end of the post-war era, on the seventieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum,
Mater et Magistra expresses the deep concern of a beloved Pope for justice. The Church
was preparing for the Second Vatican Council in a decade of prosperity and hope, mingled
with cold war tensions. Pope John XXIII welcomes new systems of social welfare and social
security, while rejecting inordinate state control. He repeats the teaching of Pope Pius XII
in favor of small business enterprises, based on the principle of subsidiarity. But he raises
the problem of the growing disparity between rich and poor nations, a trend too evident
amidst rapid developments of industry, trade and technology in the second half of the
century.
 The Church’s mission is the salvation of souls and the transformation of the society. This
encyclical addresses the socio-economic conditions and the responsibility of individual
Catholics and the Church to work to overcome excessive inequalities. Wealthier nations
should assist poorer nations. Advances in science and technology need to be critiqued
because they have the power to improve the human condition, but may also pose
dangers to life and to human rights.
PACEM IN TERRIS

Encyclical of Pope John XXIII, on Peace on

Earth, April 11, 1963

 This encyclical is the first to be addressed to "all men of good will,"

instead of just the world's Catholics. It focuses on what is needed
for peace in the world, at a time when the Cold War was at its
height.
 Pope John XXIII appeals for peace. He speaks in the year following the
Cuban crisis, perhaps the most dangerous phase of the cold war, when
a global nuclear holocaust was a real threat.
 To advance a peaceful social order, Pope John favors the participation
of people in decisions affecting the common good, especially through
democratic processes.
 The encyclical emphasizes relationships, including the rights and duties
of individuals, relationships between individuals and the state,
relationships between states, and the need for global oversight of
developments.
GAUDIUM
ET SPES –Pope Paul VI

Vatican II, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,

December 7, 1965

 The encyclical emphasizes the dignity of each human

being as created in the image of God which comes
from their call to communion with God. We are to
treat one another, in the spirit of brotherhood. The
purpose of marriage is to further human life and
educate children.
 Efforts must be taken to reduce immense economic
inequality which is connected with individual and
social discrimination. Finally, the nations of the world
should work together to create a peace based on
justice and love. There should be economic
cooperation to help underdeveloped nations achieve
progress
POPULORUM PROGRESSIO

Encyclical of Pope Paul VI, on the Development of

Peoples, March 26, 1967

 Pope Paul VI speaks on behalf of the millions of peoples of developing nations, the men and women
of the third world. Confronting the ever-widening disparity between rich and poor nations, he
affirms that justice is inseparable from development. Development is the new name for Peace.
 The encyclical encouraged many Catholics to make a preferential option for the poor and to take
up the cause of the helpless and the oppressed. Populorum Progressio also includes a rejection
of population control, an unfashionable position to take in the years when demographic trends
were still largely interpreted in an alarmist way.
 Development as a goal must include both social progress as well as economic growth, allowing men
and women to further their moral growth and develop their spiritual endowments.


 There are three major duties which must be completed for the world to achieve development. (1)
The wealthiest nations must give aid and promote solidarity with developing nations. (2) Fair
trading relations between strong and poor nations must be established. (3) The world must also
focus on universal charity by building a more humane world community.
OCTOGESIMA ADVENIENS

A Call to Action

Apostolic Letter of Pope Paul VI,

May 15, 1971
 Marking the 80th anniversaries of Rerum Novarum Pope Paul VI
takes up problems characteristic of the seventies in an
apostolic letter to Cardinal Maurice Roy. The letter
compliments the strong appeal for social justice in Populorum
Progressio by taking into account the continuing menace of
communism and other serious preoccupations such as
urbanization, racial discrimination, new technologies and the
role of the Christian in politics.
 His Holiness wished to inspire renewed action for lay
members to participate in social and political reform
according to the Gospel
EVANGELII NUNTIANDI

Evangelization in the Modern World

Paul VI

October 26, 1975

 On evangelizers and evangelization: Jesus proclaimed

a salvation that includes liberation from all
oppression, and it's the role of the church to
continue that proclamation; redemption includes
combating injustice; evangelization should affect
human judgment, values, interests, thought, and
lifestyle; evangelization important in an increasingly
de- Christianized world, as important to non-
practicing Christians as to non-Christians; avenues of
evangelization—homilies, personal witness, mass
media, etc.—explored.
JUSTICE IN THE WORLD

Synod of Bishops,

November 30, 1971

 The bishops, gathered in Rome for the 1971 Synod, gave

voice to the desire of millions of people in developing
countries not only for an end to poverty and oppression,
but for everlasting peace and true justice. In the
Church, as in the world, justice is to be maintained and
promoted. The call of the bishops includes references
to the right to life, the rights of women and the need
for education for justice.
LABOREM EXERCENS

Encyclical of Pope John Paul II, on the Dignity of Work,

September 14, 1981

 Pope John Paul II sets forth the dignity of human work

in the divine plan as well as our problems with work and
ways to resolve them. Since the beginning, as revealed
in Genesis work has been a fundamental dimension of
human existence on earth. There should be continued
studies of workers and their living conditions and new
movements of solidarity of the works and with the
workers. It is the duty of the Church to help the poor
and weak, especially those whose dignity has been
violated. Work also constitutes a foundation for the
formation of family life
SOLLICITUDO REI SOCIALIS

Encyclical of Pope John Paul II, on the

Twentieth Anniversary of Populorum Progressio, December
30, 1987

 In Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, Pope John Paul II celebrates the twentieth anniversary of
Populorum Progressio.
 The Pope points out that despite some progress in the two decades since Populorum
Progressio’s publication, the gap between developed and developing countries
continued to widened in a variety of areas, including: the production and
distribution of goods, hygiene, health and housing, availability of drinking water, and
working conditions (especially for women).
 Pope John Paul II delineates the need for solidarity and freedom, for true justice and a
better way beyond either socialism or free-market capitalism. He re-focuses Catholic
social doctrine around the meaning and value of the human person. With a global
vision of the social changes he observed among the nations, the Pope also denounces
the burden of debt incurred by developing nations and the new imperialism of
population control which was being imposed on them.
CENTESIMUS ANNUS

Encyclical of Pope John Paul II, Commemorating the

Hundredth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum, May 15, 1991

 Written to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, this

encyclical addresses in a modern context the issues in Rerum Novarum.
 John Paul II reemphasizes the main focus of Rerum Novarum - the
dignity of the worker, and therefore the dignity of work. He also
mentions the right to private property (referring to land ownership) and
the right to establish professional associations.
 To this list of rights of the worker, in 1891Pope Leo XIII added a “just
wage” - John Paul II continued in this tradition by adding that “society
and the state must ensure wage levels adequate for the maintenance
of the worker and his family, including a certain amount for savings.”
 EVANGELIUM VITAE

The Gospel of Life

1995
Pope John Paul II

The Church must continue to defend the weakest and ensure the
necessary minimum support for the unemployed worker.
 Pope John Paul II released the encyclical Evangelium Vitae on March
25, 1995. It deals with the most basic of all principles – the value
and sacredness of human life. Our duty to protect life is central to
the Christian message.
 This encyclical presents the Church’s teaching on the sanctity and
inviolability of human life, from conception to natural death, dealing
specifically with abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment. It also
covers the proper use of sex and stresses the importance of the
family. It also emphasizes the need to care for the sick and the poor.
CARITAS IN VERITATE

Encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, on Integral Human

Development in Charity and Truth, June 29, 2009

 Pope Benedict XVI wrote the encyclical Caritas in Veritate in 2009 as

globalization and the intense pace of technical development
threatened to leave individuals and, in fact, entire nations
behind. It is people, the Pope stressed, that must lie at the heart of
all progress.
 The principal driving force behind authentic development of every
person and of humanity itself is charity in truth. In responding to
violence, poverty, and injustice, both love and truth are necessary
to achieving meaningful progress. Caritas in Veritate seeks to
provide moral and ethical principles as the world develops solutions
to its core problems.
Synthesis:
Major Themes of the Social Teachings of the
Church
1. Dignity of the Human Person. Belief in the inherent dignity of the human
person is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching.
2. Common Good and Community. The human person is both sacred and social.
We realize our dignity and rights in relationship with others, in community.
Human beings grow and achieve fulfillment in community.

3. Option for the Poor. The option for the poor is an essential part of
society's effort to achieve the common good. A healthy community can be
achieved only if its members give special attention to those with special
needs, to those who are poor and on the margins of society.
4. Rights and Responsibilities. Human dignity can be protected and a healthy
community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and
responsibilities are met.

5. Role of Government and Subsidiarity. The state is an instrument to promote

human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good.
6. Economic Justice. The economy must serve people, not the other way around.
7. Stewardship of God's Creation. The goods of the earth are gifts from God, and
they are intended by God for the benefit of everyone.
8. Promotion of Peace and Disarmament. Catholic teaching promotes peace as a
positive, action-oriented concept. There is a close relationship in Catholic teaching
between peace and justice.
9. Participation. All people have a right to participate in the economic, political,
and cultural life of society. It is a fundamental demand of justice and a requirement
for human dignity that all people be assured a minimum level of participation in the
community.

10. Global Solidarity and Development. We are called to work globally for justice.
Authentic development must be full human development.
Celebration:
Psalm 144: 2-11
 I will bless you day after day
 and praise your name forever.
 The Lord is great, highly to be praised,
 His greatness cannot be measured.


 Age to age shall proclaim your works,

 shall declare your might deeds,
 shall speak of your splendor and glory.
 tell the tale of your wonderful works.


 They will speak of your terrible deeds,

 recount your greatness and might.
 They will recall your abundant goodness
 age to age shall ring out your justice.